Martin
Scorsese’s 1976 film Taxi Driver,
which stars Robert De Niro as Travis Bickle, presents an image of a Vietnam
veteran trying to realign with society. Travis’ attempts at integrating
seamlessly back into society fail as he is repeatedly rejected by the people
around him, specifically the idealized “angel” Betsy. The scene that takes
place at 1:05:48 to 1:07:48 shows Travis creating an image for himself after
his efforts to rejoin society fail.
As
a member of the Marines who has seen combat, Travis was cast in the role of the
protector during his time in the military. He was the protector for American
rights, American interests, and American freedoms. When Travis returns home to
find he has no place in the society he fought to protect, he latches onto the
only role he knows how to do. Throughout the scene, Travis wears his military
jacket which highlights his violent and aggressive tendencies by affiliating
Travis with his war days.
Travis
wears the jacket without a shirt underneath which also may symbolize that the
life of a Marine is the only way he knows how to live. His attempts to fit into
society were another one of Travis’ temporary solutions to a long term problem
as noted in Wednesday’s class. He cannot survive on fast food and pain killers,
but instead he must find an escape from the pain. Travis creates the role of
the vigilante to provide himself with a place within the society he must now
live in.
This
scene shows Travis practicing possible scenarios that require him to use the
guns he has purchased. The way that he keeps replaying the same scene and
trying out different lines is reminiscent of a child playing pretend. Through
his play acting the role of the vigilante that Travis has created takes on a
fictional or unrealistic sense providing him with a sort of superhero element. But
the scene slowly degrades and leads into a repeating loop of consciousness
hinting at Travis’ decaying mental state.
Travis
narrates the scene and describes himself saying that “here is someone who stood
up.” This notion that he is the man that is able to stand up against the crime
and indecency running rampant in New York City is challenged by Travis’
position on the bed during the narration. He is lying on his bed in a fetal position, defenseless
and sleeping. This juxtaposition shows that although Travis believes he can
fill the role of the vigilante/protector to satisfy both his and the city’s
needs, he is inadequate possibly because of his mental instability.
In
the final seconds of the scene, the camera focuses on a line in Travis’ journal
that reads “Here is…” which is followed by a shot of him pulling his hidden gun
and announcing that the pretend villain is dead. This statement hints at the notion of perceived infallibility that Travis maintains about his violent tendencies. A scream is heard as this
scene shifts into the next scene foreshadowing the possible implications of
Travis’ play acting being applied to real world situations. The scene from
1:05:48 to 1:07:48 shows how Travis constructs a place for himself within a
society that does not know how to handle him. This self constructed safe zone
which offers Travis appreciation and adoration is questioned by the
juxtaposition of his strong words but weak body language. Although Travis
portrays himself as a strong protector, he is already inadequate for the job
that he has created.
